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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 03
The Millennium Gate War. The Seoul Big Wave.
A national hero who fought in both.
The first-ever SSS-rank Hunter in South Korea.
Head of the Heavenly Sword House, revered across the world as the Master of the Blade—
“Sword Saint, Cheon Yu-seong.”
Cheon Woo-jin had made up his mind to stand before his grandfather, a man who had remained the undisputed apex of the Hunter world for decades.
And he did so with two clear reasons in mind.
“Until I finish growing stronger, I need a shield—something that can protect me from Cheon Oh-hyuk.”
Cheon Oh-hyuk was tenacious, sinister, and powerful.
The moment he realized Woo-jin had recovered his awakened abilities, he would move to eliminate him.
And that “eliminate” would not be metaphorical.
Assassination. Political manipulation. Kidnapping. Blackmail.
He would use any means necessary to either kill Cheon Woo-jin or lock him away forever.
To prevent that, Woo-jin needed a shield—one that even Oh-hyuk couldn’t pierce.
And right now, there was only one person who could provide that: the head of the clan, Cheon Yu-seong.
The second reason?
“To ultimately borrow the full might of the Heavenly Sword House… for my revenge.”
The Black Corporation—the shadow group that ruled the underworld—possessed power far beyond even the most elite Hunter clans.
Cheon Woo-jin knew just how terrifying their hidden strength was—because he had once infiltrated them as a Black Agent.
Baek Do-jin, one of their executives, had already been an S-rank Hunter twenty years ago. Who could say how monstrous he had become by now?
The Black Corporation illegally seized control of dungeons, turned them into underground work camps, and forced Hunters to extract resources.
Many of the items obtained this way were cursed or otherwise unstable—far too dangerous for use.
These black market goods circulated through criminal hands and ended up empowering
villainous Awakened criminals.
To stop this, the Chairman of the Hunter Association had once deployed Cheon Woo-jin—then top agent of the Hyeonwoldan—to infiltrate the Black Corporation, gather evidence, and wipe them out.
“But… their influence was far greater than anyone expected.”
After Woo-jin’s death during the mission, the Chairman—nicknamed the Beggar King—was swiftly ousted.
And with him went the Hyeonwoldan, their hidden task force. The entire base was reduced to ashes.
Still, Cheon Woo-jin never once believed the Black Agents had all perished so easily.
“I’ll use the Heavenly Sword House’s strength to locate and reunite the scattered Black Agents.”
If they had survived, they were surely out there, waiting in silence, biding their time to strike again.
With his thoughts settled, Cheon Woo-jin picked up the phone sitting in the corner of his room.
“Uncle, please come in.”
The moment he put the receiver down, the door opened, and in walked a middle-aged man in a sharp suit, face stern and unreadable.
“You called for me?”
The man—referred to as Chief Kim—was responsible for looking after Cheon Woo-jin while he recovered in the detached annex.
“I’d like to meet the Clan Head. Please contact the main house.”
Chief Kim’s brow furrowed slightly.
Adjusting the thick-rimmed glasses on his nose, he responded quietly, “The Clan Head doesn’t meet people just because they request it…”
“I found a way to cure HMC Syndrome—the Heavenly Curse.”
Chief Kim’s eyes widened.
But soon after, his expression returned to its calm, skeptical default.
“That’s impossible.”
The clan had already exhausted all known methods.
Famed doctors, healers, and mages had all tried and failed to treat Woo-jin.
Even the smallest imbalance in his energy could trigger internal ruptures and sudden death.
The problem wasn’t something medicine or elixirs could solve—it was that his body contained too much energy.
And yet now, out of nowhere, he was claiming he’d found a cure?
“I’ll show you.”
Woo-jin rose from his seat and drew upon the internal energy stored in his energy core.
WOOOOOOOOONG—!
A portion of his full 120-year reservoir of internal energy surged forth, pressing down on Chief Kim like a mountain.
RUMBLE…!
Reacting instinctively, Chief Kim released his own mana to counter the force.
RUMMMBLE!!
As internal energy clashed with magic, a storm erupted within the room.
The painting on the wall cracked. Furniture toppled.
Then, Woo-jin retracted his aura and took a step back.
“You saw it, didn’t you? It’s only a fraction… but I can now control and release energy.”
It was unbelievable.
But after feeling it for himself, Chief Kim couldn’t deny it.
He adjusted his glasses once more and lowered his head.
“I will inform the Clan Head.”
* * *
RUMMMBLE…!
The gates to the Heavenly Sword House’s main estate opened with a deep, thunderous roar.
Even most of the clan’s senior officers were forbidden from entering this place unless summoned directly by the Clan Head.
“This way, please.”
Chief Kim led Cheon Woo-jin toward the main house.
As they entered, members of the clan, all dressed immaculately, bowed deeply in greeting.
They weren’t mere guards—every one of them was an Awakened Hunter.
Following Chief Kim farther in, Woo-jin arrived at the Clan Head’s Hall—a sprawling traditional residence built across thousands of square meters.
This was the sanctum of Cheon Yu-seong, the Sword Saint himself.
“Incredible…”
To the untrained eye, the estate seemed unremarkable.
But Woo-jin immediately recognized the layers of protective enchantments—barrier magic cast by high-tier mages hidden all throughout.
As a former elite operative skilled in infiltration and assassination, Woo-jin could spot them easily.
‘I could probably get in… but getting out would be suicide. The one waiting inside is the strongest Hunter alive.’
Every inch of the Heavenly Sword House reeked of power.
This was what it meant to stand at the summit of a Hunter dynasty.
As they neared the entrance to the Clan Head’s residence, a security agent approached and checked Woo-jin’s ID.
That wasn’t all—a mage came forward and extended a hand to perform a magical scan.
TSSSSSSHH—
The mage’s mana field seeped into Chief Kim’s body.
Among Awakened individuals, there were those with shapeshifting abilities—so every entrant was subject to a meticulous inspection.
Cheon Woo-jin could tell right away: this mage was at least a 5th-class, high-tier spellcaster.
It was yet another reminder of the immense power the Heavenly Sword House possessed.
Once Chief Kim’s inspection was complete, the mage turned to Cheon Woo-jin.
“Pardon me, Young Master.”
As he raised his hand to cast the same spell on Woo-jin, Chief Kim quickly stepped between them and shook his head.
“Injecting mana into the Young Master’s body is extremely dangerous.”
The mage furrowed his brow and responded flatly, “Without a mana inspection, entry into the Clan Head’s Hall is strictly prohibited.”
The rules of the Heavenly Sword House were famously rigid.
No exceptions—regardless of circumstance.
Even if Woo-jin’s health didn’t allow for standard procedures, their house laws would not bend.
The two men stood firm: the mage insisting on the inspection, Chief Kim refusing.
That’s when Woo-jin stepped forward.
“Let’s do this instead.”
Both turned to look at him.
“As I understand it, these security scans exist to detect altered conditions or identify shapeshifters. Then a method more accurate than a mana inspection should be acceptable, right?”
The mage narrowed his eyes.
“What method could possibly be more accurate than a mana scan?”
Woo-jin extended his hand.
“Rather than injecting mana into me, wouldn’t it be more reliable to test my blood directly?”
The mage blinked, visibly startled.
The blood of the Heavenly Sword House’s direct lineage was incomparably valuable.
Even fragments of hair or bodily fluids could fetch astronomical sums on the black market for research purposes.
Because of this, the clan forbade their own from carelessly wounding themselves—even minor injuries were discouraged.
Yet Cheon Woo-jin had just offered his own blood without hesitation.
“Well? Would that be sufficient?”
Snapping out of his daze, the mage gave a slow nod.
“Yes, that would certainly be more than enough for a security substitute.”
Woo-jin gave a small nod and turned to Chief Kim.
“May I borrow your sword?”
Chief Kim, who had come empty-handed, pulled a sword from his inventory and passed it to him.
Woo-jin took note of how smoothly Chief Kim summoned the blade and handed it over.
‘As I thought… He’s no mere caretaker. He’s at least a B-rank Hunter.’
A B-ranker was strong enough to lead a clan assault team.
That someone like him was assigned to Woo-jin wasn’t for simple protection.
‘The Clan Head has been watching me this whole time through him.’
With the sword in hand, Woo-jin calmly sliced his palm.
Drip.
Blood pooled slowly from the wound.
The mage quickly retrieved a crystal from his robes.
“Please place your blood here.”
Woo-jin let several drops fall onto the crystal.
The mage then infused it with mana.
Wooooong…
The blue crystal trembled—then began to glow red.
No, not just red—deep crimson, nearly black.
The blood of the Heavenly Sword House bore intense mana.
When their blood touched a mana-detecting crystal, the color would shift based on the mana’s density.
Other Hunter families couldn't achieve more than a faint tint.
Only the Heavenly Sword House could turn the crystal a strong color.
But this—this was beyond anything the mage had seen.
“Th-this is…”
A hue he’d never encountered before.
It meant Cheon Woo-jin’s blood was saturated with an unbelievably high density of mana.
At this level, even the strongest illusion or mind-control spells would be nullified.
And above all—it was indisputable proof that Woo-jin was a direct descendant of the Heavenly Sword House, not a shapeshifter.
“Is this enough to verify me?”
The mage nodded, still dazed.
“Y-yes… verification complete. Please proceed inside.”
With the security check finally over, Cheon Woo-jin and Chief Kim stepped into the Clan Head’s Hall.
‘Good.’
Truthfully, even if the mage had injected him with mana, nothing would’ve happened—his energy was fully stabilized now.
But Woo-jin had chosen this method.
Why?
Because he wanted to keep the truth hidden: that he had an energy core filled with 120 years’ worth of internal energy.
Most Hunters, even those from prestigious clans, concentrated their mana in their heart.
Mana flowed through blood, and the heart was its natural generator.
But with his new class—Soulless Warrior—Woo-jin cultivated energy in his core, not mana in his heart.
If the mage had examined his body, he might’ve noticed.
And if word got out that Woo-jin had completely overcome the Heavenly Curse, the news would spread like wildfire.
‘Which would put me in Cheon Oh-hyuk’s crosshairs even sooner.’
Right now, it was crucial that he remained outside his enemy’s radar.
And that was precisely why he needed to meet with the Clan Head, Cheon Yu-seong, directly.
As Woo-jin followed Chief Kim into the estate, he became suddenly aware of something.
‘A barrier? No, it’s more than that… a formation? Whatever it is, it’s incredible.’
There was no better word for it.
They were simply walking down a corridor, yet Woo-jin could tell: If he veered even slightly off path, the formation would ensnare him—and he’d never find his way out again.
He felt a cold sweat bead along his spine.
The entire residence was enveloped in a vast, hyper-detailed defensive formation—paranoid, over-engineered, and terrifyingly airtight.
That’s when Chief Kim’s voice rang in his ear.
“We’ve arrived.”
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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